Automated Medical Coding Revolutionizing Healthcare.

We all get fascinated by the concept of Automation and Artificial Intelligence. An imagination created by Science-fiction writers in books and movies is coming to life now.   These technologies are impacting every sphere of life. Today’s world is dominated by AI, cloud computing, and automation, and the healthcare sector is no exception. These advancements in technology are revolutionizing Medical coding in the healthcare sector. Automated Medical Coding uses Artificial Intelligence. It translates patient records into accurate and standardized codes quickly.

In this article, Let’s discuss automated medical coding;  its benefits, and challenges. But before that let’s know Medical coding.

Let’s start,

What is Medical Coding?

medical coding

Image: Medical Coding

Medical coding is the method of converting medical records into standardized codes and it also codes different healthcare services.  Government programs and health insurance firms depend heavily on these codes because they guarantee that medical professionals get paid. Medical coders review Patient records. It includes doctors’ notes, lab reports, and procedure documentation. After careful observation, they assign codes that reflect the diagnoses and treatments provided.

What Are Different Types of Medical Codes Used?  

There are three types of medical codes:

  1. ICD codes (International Classification of Diseases): These are used for diagnoses. They are essential for tracking disease statistics globally.
  1. CPT Codes (Current Procedural Terminology): These codes document medical, surgical, and diagnostic procedures.
  1. HCPCS Codes (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System): These are used to bill a range of services. Among them are heavy-duty medical equipment, ambulance services, and many others.
Different types of medical coding

Image: Different types of medical codes 

 What are the Challenges of Traditional Medical Coding?

Medical coding is a complex field. Therefore, It requires a high level of skill set and an acute sense of detail. There are many challenges to this traditional medical coding. These are:

  1. Time-consuming: Manual medical coding is time-consuming.  It requires meticulous review and entry of patient records. It slows down the billing process.
  1. Claim Denials: Human errors are common in medical billing. Along with it comes inaccurate billing and claim rejections.
  1. Requires Skill Coders: One important aspect of traditional medical coding is the demand for skilled coders. It may get difficult to find one at times.
  1. Cost inefficiency: Manual coding is costly and frequent errors also increase the investment.

The use of automation in Medical coding can overcome these challenges.

Let’s know the automated medical coding.

What is Automated medical coding?

Automation streamlines the traditional process of manual medical coding. In addition to this, the use of different technologies makes the process easier and faster. These three technologies are RPA (robotic process automation), NLP (natural language processing), and AI (artificial intelligence). 

How Automated Medical Coding Works?

Automated medical coding works in three steps. These are:

Process of Medical coding

Image: Process of Automated Coding

  1. Data Extraction: The system scans and extracts relevant data from EHR (Electronic Health Records), medical charts, and other documents.
  1. Code Matching:  AI algorithms analyze extracted data. Algorithms match it to the appropriate code in the system.
  1. Data entry: It involves directing codes into billing and claim management systems.

What are the Benefits of Automated Coding System?

Compared to manual coding systems, automated coding systems are more efficient, and at the same time, They have many benefits.

Benefits of Automated Medical Coding

Image: Benefits of Automated Coding

  1. Improved Accuracy: There is no room for human errors with automation. This ultimately leads to better patient support procedures and accurate claim reimbursements.
  1. Increased Efficiency and speed: Automation processes a large volume of data in less time than human coders. Therefore, It allows coders to work on exceptional cases that require human expertise and increases overall productivity.
  1. Cost reduction:  It minimizes errors that occur in the traditional coding process. This helps the administration save money by reducing claim denials.
  1. Consistency: Automated systems help maintain uniformity and particularly compliance with the latest guidelines.
  1. Data analysis:  Analysing data becomes easy with structured and accurate data sets. It leads to better decision-making practices.

Future of Medical coding 

In the future, medical coding will use more improvised versions of AI and other technologies. It will be able to handle more complex coding scenarios. This technology will support coders, and improve the healthcare system and infrastructure by ensuring accuracy and consistency. 

Key Takeaways

  • Medical coding is the method of converting medical records into standardized codes.
  •  Three types of Medical Codes are ICD, CPT, and HCPCS codes.
  • Since traditional coding is time-consuming, It results in a lack of interest and attention. Ultimately, It is prone to errors and costly.
  • Automated Medical Coding uses AI, NLP, and RPA to streamline coding processes.
  • Improved accuracy, efficiency, cost reduction, consistency, and better data analysis are some benefits of Automated medical coding.
  •  Advanced AI will handle complex scenarios, Therefore, It will support coders and enhance the healthcare system in the future.

References

https://www.rcxrules.com/blog/medical-coding-automation-a-coding-teams-secret-weapon

https://www.carecloud.com/what-is-medical-coding/

https://www.aapc.com/resources/getting-started-in-medical-coding-and-billing-a-guide-to-the-fundamentals

https://www.aapc.com/resources/what-does-a-medical-coder-do

https://www.foreseemed.com/blog/challenges-to-avoid-in-medical-coding

https://flobotics.io/blog/medical-coding/

https://medicodio.com/how-is-ai-quickly-taking-medical-coding-to-the-next-level/

https://medicalfuturist.com/what-is-medical-coding-automation-and-its-potentials-in-healthcare/

Written by: Kamni

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